Neutral colors - not only do modern kitchens thrive on neutral tones, but you also won't find a lot of different colors. If you want to add splashes of color to contrast the neutral shades, it's fine as long as you don't go overboard. It's best to stick with just a few bright colors to balance out the space, not five or six different colors. Too many different shades can be overwhelming.

Appliances in your new kitchen need not be the most recent release from a major appliance company. While having the fancy new refrigerator or the hottest new 5 burner cook top may be nice, does it fit into your overall decorating scheme and budget? Believe it or not, a retro refrigerator, if working properly, could be the right fit for your new kitchen. Even your kitchen hood exhaust fan from a different time period can work, as long as it functions fine and does not pose a danger to the rest of your house.

For the purposes of this article, we will use the terms modern and contemporary interchangeably. While in terms of art history the two are very different, when looking at furniture, there is not a lot of difference between the two.

Contemporary furniture - if you've decided you want a modern kitchen, don't just update the cabinets and countertops. There are a multitude of contemporary chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture - you have literally hundreds of options. Instead of buying traditional or plain kitchen chairs, go for contemporary stools to go with your island. Little touches like this can go a long way.

Stainless steel - stainless steel has prevailed as one of the top finishes in modern kitchens, and this trend probably isn't going anywhere for a while! Easy to clean, stainless steel can be used for countertops, cabinets, backsplashes and appliances (microwaves, ovens, sinks, toasters - you name it!).

Typically, in a kitchen, there is little decoration. The most decoration will come from the color chosen for the cabinetry, furniture and appliances. Some choose to paint everything a single color. Others choose to paint the walls and cabinets a single color while choosing appliances and cookware that is painted in a sharply contrasting color. If your kitchen space is small, you can create the illusion of space by choosing a single color for your walls and appliances. If your kitchen is larger, you can create textures and a decorative feel by choosing contrasting colors.